In addition to providing honest advice, we at AskHELTIE believe it's important to have a wealth of information available for horse owners. This way, you can expand your knowledge and help your horse to the best of your ability. Together, we ensure that horses come a little closer to nature.
First Aid
Tendons
Silicon
Black cumin
Recognizing, treating, and preventing tendon injuries in horses
Many horse owners have to deal with them: tendon injuries. Difficult, unpleasant, and sometimes even the end of your horse's sporting career. How does a tendon injury occur? What should you do if you think your horse has a tendon injury? How can you support an injured horse? And how can you reduce the risk of a tendon injury?. Horses have relatively thin legs, with tendons close to the surface. An injury to the tendons is therefore always looming. Tendon injuries come in many different forms. Sometimes a horse is very lame, sometimes not at all. Sometimes it is a very serious problem, in other cases, the horse only needs to train a little less intensively. How does a tendon injury occur? There can be several causes for tendon injuries: Too intense training Too much of the same / repetitive training Training on poor su...
Feeding
Roughage 2.0: What should I feed my horse?
he opinions on feeding horses have changed significantly in the last few decades. When horses were still working in the fields, it was important that they could quickly absorb a lot of energy and pellets were considered ideal. Furthermore, horses often received the same roughage as dairy cattle. But a horse is not a cow and not a human either. Horses have a unique digestive system. It is wise to take this into account when choosing roughage. Feed 2.0 it is!. To start with, a cow has four stomachs and is a ruminant. This means that a large part of digestion already takes place before the food reaches the intestines. A horse, on the other hand, mostly digests in the hind part of the digestive system: in the cecum and colon. There, fiber digestion takes place with the help of millions of bacteria and other microorganisms. Horses derive their energy mainly from fibers, which are converted into volatile fatty acids. Fibers are mainly found in roughage, n...
Others
Is 24/7 outdoor suitable for all horses?
Paddock Paradises, Active stable systems, Browsing Paddocks, Tracks and other methods are all the rage nowadays. And logically so, because more and more horse owners realize that spending a lot of time outdoors is beneficial for the health and mental well-being of horses. However, there are often sounds of "my horse doesn't want to be outside" or "my horse enjoys being in the stable". Is 24/7 outdoor living suitable for all horses? In this blog, we will give our perspective on this.. Yes, 24/7 outdoor living is suitable for all horses, as long as... Horses are still very close to nature and in their genes, little to nothing has changed compared to the primal horse. We have bred horses to be suitable for sport or for a special color. However, little to nothing has changed in terms of the needs of the horse. A horse still needs to spend the vast majority of the day eating and searching for food. For this, the horse needs to cover many kilometers per day and take step by step....
Guest blog
Minerals
Feeding
Guest Blog Femke Dölle: Mineral buffet: choice menu for your horse
Femke Dölle is a holistic instructor and welfare advisor for horses. She always gives her horses a choice of different minerals, like a buffet. Femke: "I started doing this because in nature, horses eat a variety of plants in addition to grass. This is necessary to get all the necessary minerals and trace elements. Since I couldn't provide my horses with such a diverse diet, but still wanted to meet that need, I came up with this idea.. Femke explains: "I started offering minerals in water. First with two buckets and then I would switch them out. At my new stable, there are now six buckets hanging on the wall, like a buffet. Each bucket contains different minerals." As needed "I believe that horses in nature can choose for themselves, they know what they need and engage in self-medication. This is called zoopharmacognosy. You can see with horses that have the choice, that they eat specific plants in certain perio...
Guest blog
Femke Dölle: "Natural housing is healthy and can also be done on a smaller plot of land"
Femke Dölle is a holistic instructor and horse welfare consultant. She designs Browsing Paddocks®. This is a form of naturally domesticated housing for horses, which can also be realised on smaller plots of land. Femke also gives advice on passive physio for horses. This involves challenging the horse to use many different muscles even in its 'free time'. This mimics the way of life of wild horses, keeping them healthier and fitter. We asked Femke about her tips for natural housing.. Femke: "My concept of the Browsing Paddock® arose from the idea that I wanted horses to experience less stress, especially in terms of housing and feeding. As an instructor, I found that I could keep giving endless lessons, but if the housing and feeding management are not in order, then progress is limited. When we optimize the diet and housing, I already see half of the mental and physical problems disappear on average. Good management and the right way of feeding ensure that the horse fe...
Organs
Others
Oh dear, my horse has something wrong with his eye!
Horses have beautiful, large, and expressive eyes. With those eyes, they can almost see all around them. They can perceive any enemy or gnome, often long before their human has seen anything. But those beautiful horse eyes are also vulnerable. Here is an overview of the most common eye problems in horses.. Because horses have large protruding eyes, it is relatively easy for something to get in them. Sand, bacteria, branches, another horse's tail... In general, eye problems in your horse should not be ignored or 'waited out'. Always consult your veterinarian. Sometimes it is harmless and easy to treat, but often you need to intervene in time to prevent worse. So do not try to doctor it yourself or endlessly use boiled water! Eye inflammation: conjunctivitis A common problem is inflammation of the e...
Cannabinoids
Joints
Clove
Minerals
Silicon
Black cumin
Can you prevent/reduce injuries in your horse?
Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure that can prevent injuries. Sometimes horses seem to be born to make things as difficult as possible for themselves or to damage themselves. Every horse can have a little accident, stumble, or just be plain unlucky. Preventing an injury is therefore not possible. However, you can reduce the chances of injuries by providing the right guidance and support!. Provide enough building materials from a young age. For a strong physique, horses need building materials in the form of minerals ( silicon, calcium, magnesium etc). This starts in the womb. During pregnancy, the mare must receive enough building materials so that the unborn foal can absorb and use them. If pregnant mares have insufficient building materials, the foal will already start with a disadvantage. As a result, the entire physique will be weaker and more prone to injuries. It is therefo...
Cannabinoids
Clove
Are you familiar with the medicinal properties of the clove plant for horses?
The clove plant has versatile effects for both humans and animals. Naturally, it has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Additionally, it also optimizes the ECS system. This system is the body's signaling mechanism. We are not talking about the clove as you know it from the supermarket, but rather the plant and the flowers. Curious about its effects? We will tell you all about it in this blog!. Active substances in clove Clove is a dried, unopened flower bud of the clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum) and gets its name from its appearance, resembling a nail. The clove tree grows in a tropical climate and is an evergreen tree that only starts producing cloves after the 6th year. Clove is strong in smell and taste, hence it is widely used in dishes, as an insect repellent, or in fragrances. However, it's not the clove as you know it, but rather the plant and flower that have medicinal proper...
Cannabinoids
Clove
Black cumin
When do you choose cannabinoids and when do you choose black cumin for your horse's injury?
When your horse is injured, you want to support him during the recovery period. For example, with a mild pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory dietary supplement. Common options for this are plant-based cannabinoids(clove) and thymoquinone from black cumin. But when do you use cannabinoids and when do you choose black cumin?. For common injuries, such as tendon injuries or muscle problems, time is usually the best healer. Your horse often needs rest first and then slowly build up. Even in case of laminitis the recovery can take some time. Many horse owners like to help their horse with a natural remedy that suppresses pain and inflammation and promotes healing. Acute phase: thymoquinone Research has shown that the substance thymoquinone from the black cumin plant is a good option for different injuries. Thymoquinone:...
Weight
Insulin resistance
Minerals
Feeding
# How can you keep your horse at a healthy weight in the summer
Many horse owners find themselves in a dilemma every summer. How do you keep your horse or pony at a healthy weight during the grazing season? How can you allow your horse to enjoy a bit of grass without it having adverse effects on its health? Read on in this blog, we are happy to give you some tips!. Depending on the stable Not everyone has their horse/pony at home and the ability to take various measures regarding grazing. Most horses are kept at a boarding stable where there is a certain policy in place. This makes it difficult for many horse owners to make the right adjustments for their horse. We understand that as a horse owner, you may sometimes feel frustrated because the stable's policy does not benefit the health of your pony/horse. In some cases, you are unfortunately dependent on...
Digestion
Did you know that the esophagus of horses has the diameter of a felt-tip pen?
The esophagus connects the mouth to the stomach. In horses, which have long necks, the esophagus is about 1.20m long and flexible, but also very thin. It's like a flexible tube, the thickness of a felt-tip pen, that transports food to the stomach after chewing. The horse's esophagus can stretch to about 3 cm in diameter, but that's about it. Large pieces of food cannot pass through.. A horse continuously produces saliva and chews its food very well. This is necessary because otherwise it won't pass through that thin esophagus. Chewing well is also important for digestion, as it makes the food a smooth mass that can be digested more easily. Function of the esophagus After food is chewed and swallowed, it is transported by the esophagus to the stomach. Small muscles around the esophagus contract and push the food towards the stomach. This is called peristaltic movement. Esopha...
Nettle
Digestion
Feeding
How do you prevent disruptions in the horse's intestinal system?
Slack manure, diarrhea, gas formation, esophageal obstruction, stomach ulcers, or other digestive complaints. Perhaps the most common problems in horses are related to the stomach and intestinal system. The intestinal system of horses is very complex and also extremely sensitive. Read in this blog how you can prevent disturbances in the intestinal system.. Digestion = resistance The intestines can be seen as the most important part of the horse. If the intestines/digestive system are in order, then the resistance will also be in order. The resistance and the intestines are closely linked. That is why you often see that when horses have a resistance problem, it also affects the digestion. A well-functioning intestinal system will optimize the resistance of the horse. It is therefore extremely important to carefully deal with the stomach and intesti...